Aircraft



H. (3. KING Jan. 23, 1934.

AIRCRAFT Filed July 28, 1931 2 sheets sheet l H. C. KING Jan. 23, 1934.

AIRCRAFT Filed July 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 23, 1934 AIRCRAFT Harold C. King, Bronxville, N. Y.

Application July 28, 1931.

14 Claims.

The invention relates to air-craft and more especially to novel and useful means for permit ting air-craft to alight upon and take-off from either earth or water with equal facility.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forthin part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. l is a partially diagrammatic side elevation or" a sea-plane embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a sea-plane pontoon in vertical longitudinal section, showing a landing wheel in retracted position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsection taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detached detail, in perspective, showing the pulley and cables for actuating the landing Wheel assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

The invention is directed to providing new and useful means which will permit air-craft to function with equal eiliciency both as a seaplane or other water-alighting air-craft and as air-craft for landing on earth. An underlying object of the invention is to provide means whereby no compromise or sacrifice is made in the efficiency of the craft to permit it to operate on either medium. As hereinafter disclosed, the invention is shown and described as applied to and especially adapted for sea-planes, but it will be understood that the broad principles of the invention are also applicable to other types of air-craft, including lighter-than-air ships, and that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments shown and described in detail.

Thepresent invention provides a combination of water and earth landing-gear which is exceedingly compact and efiiciently operable on either medium and is readily controllable and instantly convertible from one form to the other. Furthermore, the arrangement, compactness Serial No. 553,523

and construction of the combined landing gears is such that they mutually contribute to the efiicient operation of each other, rather than otherwise. In the so-called amphibian air-craft designed heretofore, the landing wheels constituted a separate component of the landing gear, additional to the means for alighting on water. The landing wheels and the pontoons, floats or the like on such amphibian craft were purely aggregative, neither contributing to the eificient operation of the other. In prior amphibian designs, the landing wheeis greatly reduced the efliciency of the pontoons or floats-and vice versa, because each constituted an extra air-resistance and cumbersome and weighty super-cargo when the other was in operation.

With my invention, on the other hand, the landing-wheel structure can be totally removed from the sphere of operation of the pontoon and, in fact, enters into and becomes an integral part of the pontoon structure when the craft is operating on water, Furthermore, when the air-craft is operating on land, the pontoon does not interfere with the operation of the landing wheels, but on the contrary contributes to the efiicient operation thereof by acting as a stream-lining for the wheel and providing auxiliary lifting surface.

In the present preferred embodiment of the invention, I provide the pontoons, floats or hull of a sea-plane with retractable landing wheels mounted within the pontoons and movable to and from earth-landing position. The mounting and arrangement of the landing wheel with respect to the pontoon is such that the wheel can be moved bodily from a position entirely within the pontoon body or casing to a landing position external to and preferably below the pontoon. Preferably the landing wheel is bodily revolvable about an axis within the pontoon so that its movement from the retracted to the landing position and vice versa is one of simple rotation or revolution, preferably in the vertical plane of the wheel. The landing wheel is equipped with means, such as a. casing or housing which is bodily movable with the wheel and which automatically cooperates to seal the pontoon bottom when the wheel is in the retracted position, thereby completely concealing and stream-lining the retracted wheel and preserving perfectly the shape and smoothness of the pontoon surface. The control and operation of the retractable landing wheel mechanism is preferably located in the cockpit or other control center of the air-craft.

The mounting and construction of the retractable landing wheel, broadly outlined above, is

preferably designed so that landing stresses and strains are transmitted directly to the supporting frame-work of the air-craft. Consequently, the pontoon, which is of relatively delicate construction, is not subjected to any of the shocks of landing. Furthermore, in its extended position, the landing wheel is adapted to support the bottom of the pontoon a substantial distance above the ground, thereby preventing scraping or other damage to the pontoon.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, a conventional type of sea-plane is shown in Fig. 1, having propeller 10, body or fuselage 11, tail and rudder 12, horizontal stabilizer 13, cockpit 14 and biplane wings 15 and 16. The sea-plane body is provided with a pair of depending pontoons 20 (only one being shown) which are supported in the usual manner from the frame-work of the air-plane by pairs of suitably designed struts 21 and 22.

The general shape and structure of the pontoons will be clear from the showing of Fig. 1. The pontoon 20 is of the usual stream-lined outline, having a blunt curved nose 2% and a streamlined tapering tail port-ion 25. The bottom of the pontoon is stream-lined from the nose to a horizontal base 26, the base being provided with the usual step 2'? which is located about twothirds of the distance in rear of the nose and substantially below the center of the wings 15 and 16 of the plane. As indicated, the pontoon is adapted to float with only about one-fourth of its depth below water. The interior structure of the pontoon proper is not shown in detail, but may be provided with suitable airtight compartments, bulk-heads and the like of any known or desired nature.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the invention provides a retractable landing wheel 30 rotatably mounted in a stream-line casing or housing 31, said casing being bodily rotatable about a horizontal axis 32 which extends across the pontoon and is located preferably a short distance above the bottom 26 thereof. As will be clear from Fig. 1, the casing 31 and the landing wheel 30 are bodily revolvable together about axis 32 to a retracted position wholly within the confines of the hollow pontoon. The retracted position of the landing wheel is indicated in Fig. 1 by the broken lines.

In accordance with the invention, the retraction of the landing wheel is adapted to automatically seal the exterior of the pontoon so as to completely preserve the continuity and streamline effect of the pontoon surface. As embodied (Fig. 1) the wheel-containing casing 31 is provided with a flat bottom portion 35 which lies above the axis 32 when the landing wheel is in the extended position. When the landing wheel is rotated to the fully retracted position (Figs. 2 and 3), the bottom 35 of the casing 31 forms a complete closure for the pontoon bottom, lying flush and parallel therewith. Thus with the wheel in its fully retracted position, the pontoon is externally intact and the full continuity, stream-line effect and eiliciency thereof are com pletely preserved, just as though no landing wheel mechanism were present. On the other hand, when the wheel is in its extended position, it is adapted to operate with full efficiency as a landing wheel, as will be brought out hereinafter in greater detail.

Referring now to the detailed arrangement and mounting structure for the landing wheel and its cooperating devices (Figs. 2 and 3), the sheet metal or other relatively thin strong material forming the external covering of the pontoon is curved upwardly and inwardly to form a substantially semi-circular recess or chamber &0 in the interior of the pontoon. The upper surface of roof 41 of said chamber is arcuate and substantially semi-circular, the center thereof being the axis 32 of the revolvable casing 31, and the radius or height of the chamber being as close to the total depth of the pontoon as the structure will permit. The width of the chamber is indicated in Fig. 3, the lower portion thereof being substantially one-half the width of the pontoon, while the sides 42 of the chamber converge as shown to form a relatively narrow top portion.

The wheel-containing casing 31, formed of light, strong sheet metal or other suitable material, is of the same general shape as the chamber 40, being adapted to rotate therewithin as hereinbefore-described. The lower portion of casing 31 fits relatively closely to the interior of chamber 40, but with suilicient clearance to permit free movement with respect thereto. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the wheel and casing 31 in retracted position, the bottom and sides of the casing form a substantially complete closure for the bottom of chamber 40, thereby providing con tinuity in the bottom of the pontoon and acting as a fairly effective water-tight closure for the chamber. The upper part of casing 31 is sloped away from the inner walls and roof of the arcuate chamber and the top of the casing 31. is cut away at 45 to provide for the mounting and projection of the wheel 30, as indicated.

In accordance with the invention, the wheel casing 31 is mounted for rotary movement about axis 32. As embodied, said axis constitutes a shaft 32 rotatable in trunnions 48 and 49 which are positioned at either side of the chamber 40 and firmly supported by the bottom frame membore 50 and 51 of the pontoon frame. As will be clear from Figs. 2 and 3, the pontoon frame is formed with four longitudinally disposed bottom frame members 50, 51, 52 and 53 and with two similar overhead members 54 and 55. A plurality of cross-bracing tubes 56 may be provided at suitable points in the bottom of the pontoon, as shown, while diagonal cross-bracing members may be provided between the upper and lower frames to give a substantial truss structure for the pontoon.

The pontoon frame is supported from the body of the air-plane by the depending struts 21 and 22, which are welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the cross-members 58 and 59 of the pontoon frame. Diagonal bracing struts 60 are inclined downwardly from the ends of struts 21 to join the bottom frame members 50 and 51, while similar downwardly and forwardly inclined bracing struts 61 extend from the rear ship struts 22 and cross members 59. The axle trunnions 48 and 49 are suitably formed at the junctures of the bracing struts 60 and 61 with the bottom frame members 50 and 51 respectively. Thus, it will be clear that the bearing supports for the axle 32 are exceedingly strong and that shocks and weight reactions sustained by the axle will be transmitted directly to the pontoon-supporting struts 21 and 22, and through them to the main body of the ship, while the shell or casing of the pontoon itself receives no load or stress from the landing Wheel and casing mountings.

Means are provided for rigidly and strongly mounting and supporting the landing wheel 30 within the rotatable casing 31. As embodied, a simple triangular truss structure is built into the interior of casing 31, comprising two spaced-apart longitudinal frame tubes extending parallel to and slightly above the bottom 35 of the casing. Said longitudinal frame tubes 65 are firmly joined to the ends of cross tubes 67 and thus form a firm rectangular frame within the bottom of the casing. Inclined lateral supporting arms 70 are provided for receiving and supporting the ends of the axle '71 of the landing wheel 30, the lower ends of said arms being fixed to longitudinal frame tubes 65 by T-shaped brackets 72. Said brackets are provided with transverse collar portions 73 which surround shaft 32 and are pinned or otherwise fixed thereto (Fig. 3). The upper ends of arms'lO are designed to support the hub structure '75 which receives the rotatable axle '71 of the wheel 30. The wheel hubs 75 receive additional support from the base frame, said support being provided by longitudinally inclined frame struts 78 which are fixed to central blocks 79 on the cross members 67. The struts 78 are fork shaped at their upper ends, being provided with fork arms 80 which are fixed to either hub of the wheel, thereby giving firm longitudinal support thereto.

As shown, the wheel 30 is of the well-known air wheel type, wherein the entire body of the wheel is an inflated pneumatic tube mounted on a pair of cylindrical hubs '75, as shown. This type of wheel is advantageous because of its cushioning properties and because it can be equipped with an internal braking device of known construction (not shown). It will be understood, however, that any other known or suitable type of landing wheel and braking means may be employed for the purposes described.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided for rotating the casing 31 and contained wheel 30 about the axis 32 and for effecting and controlling said rotation from the cockpit of the plane. As embodied, a grooved pulley (Figs. 3 and 4) is fixed to the end of shaft 32 which projects through the trunnion 48. Cables 86 and 87 are wound about the grooved pulley in reverse directions and the ends of the cables are fixed in the body of the pulley as indicated at 88. It will be clear that a pull on one cable will rotate the pulley 85 and shaft 32 in a given direction, while a pull on the other cable will reverse said rotation; and that rotation of the pulley will elfect a corresponding rotation of the casing 31 and the wheel 30 therewith, by virtue of the construction hereinbefore described.

For effecting rotation of the casing 31 from the cockpit of the plane, the pulleys 86 and 87 are threaded. through a suitable conduit 90 running along strut 21 to the cockpit of the plane, said cables being guided by suitable guide pulleys 91 at the points indicated. A control lever 92, or other suitable means such as a winding crank, may be mounted in the cockpit for effecting the reversing rotation of the pulley 85, as desired. While a special conduit 90 is shown for leading the cables 86 and 8'? from the pontoon to the fuselage, these cables may be passed through the hollow strut 21 itself if desired or feasible.

Means are provided for limiting rotation of the casing to the 180 required to effect complete retraction and extension of the landing wheel 30.

As embodied, the end of shaft 32 which projects through trunnion 49 is provided with a disc- .shaped collar 100, suitably pinned to: the shaft 32.

A stop pin 101 extends from the face of disc near the periphery thereof and is adapted to contact with two stop-blocks 102 and 103 on the frame member 53, which limit the rotation of the disc to the arc desired.

Any suitable means may be provided for looking the rotatable casing 31 in its limiting positions. As shown, suitable bolt blocks 79 are mounted on either cross frame member 67, preferably centrally thereof. The belt blocks are provided with bolt receiving recesses 105 into which the end of longitudinally slidable bolt 106 is adapted to seat when aligned therewith. Bolt 106 is mounted for longitudinal locking and unlocking movement in housing 107, which constitutes a water-tight gland or packing to seal the interior of the pontoon from any water which may work into the chamber 40. 1

The invention provides means for actuating and controlling the locking bolt 106 from the cockpit of the plane or other suitable control station. As embodied, a lever 108 is pivotally mounted on frame member 61 and has a bolt and slot connection 109 with the end of the bolt 106. An actuating cable 110 is fixed to the lever at 111, said cable being threaded about reversing pulley 112 and both ends of the cable are guided to the cockpit by suitable pulleys and through conduit 113, which may be similar in construction to conduit 90, hereinbefore described. Actuating means for the cable 110 are indicated in Fig. 1, comprising lever 115 and reversing pulley 116. 7

While I have shown a simple bolt for locking the reversible casing 31 in retracted and extended position, it will be understood that any suitable locking device may be provided for this purpose. The locking means should be relatively simple and rugged, capable of withstanding the landing shocks sustained by the wheel and also not affected by water or particles of sand and dirt picked up during landing. If desired, the actuation of the locking means may be automatic, as by a spring-bolt action or the like. Means are provided for facilitating the rolling movement of the plane on land and for making the land operations thereof relatively safe. As embodied, an auxiliary wheel may be rotatably mounted in the nose 24 of the pontoon. The wheel 120 is preferably of such shape and size that it will conform substantially to the stream-line shape of the pontoon and will, therefore, not detract from the flying qualities of the pontoon. As indicated, the wheel 120 is adapted to support the pontoon above ground when the ship is tilted forward on the relatively extreme angle indicated in Fig. l. The nose wheels 120 are of great safety value in that they operate to prevent nosing over of the ship in landing or taxiing along the ground. That is, when the ship and pontoons tend to rock forward on the ground, the wheels 120 will rotate and counteract pivoting movement about the ends of the pontoons.

In addition to acting as landing wheels, the wheels 120 may conveniently serve as buffers for the ends of the pontoons, either in land or water. For this purpose the pneumatic air wheel devices hereinbefore referred to may be used for the nose wheels 120, and will of themselves provide an excellent buffer action for the pontoons, as when the ship is tied up to a dock, for example.

Land movements of the air-craft are further facilitated by the provision of wheels mounted in the tails of the pontoons. As indicated, the rear ends of the pontoons maybe provided with a swivel joint 126 to provide for turning movements of the ship on land. The wheels 125 will normally support the ship on land in cooperation with the main supporting action of wheels ,30, thereby holding the ship at a proper landing and taxiing angle. If desired, the rear wheels 125 may be provided with suitable braking means (not shown). Furthermore, in some cases it may be desirable to substitute an ordinary tail skid in lieu of the wheels 125, and said skid may be retractable if desired.

In general, the operation of the invention will be clear from the foregoing detailed description. It may be pointed out that when the ship is alighting or moving across the surface of the water, that no air or. water resistance can be created by the retracted landing wheels. Furthermore, when the ship is flying in the air, after having taken off from either water or land, the wheels may be retracted, thereby entirely eliminating air resistance. The stream-lined pontoons of themselves provide a substantial lift and consequently assist in taking off from land and in stream-lining the air about the wheels when in their extended positions.

When the pontoon is moving over the water, some water may creep into the chamber 40, although such tendency will be slight due to back air pressure created in the chamber. However, if the chamber 40 or casing 31 do pick up water, the casing may be rotated to empty them after the machine has gotten into the air and thereafter retracted for flying.

In addition to its use as a retractable landing gear, facilitating either land or water operation-s, my invention provides a novel and feasible means for permitting a sea-plane or other air-craft to taxi or be otherwise propelled from water to land. For example, it may be desirable for a sea-plane to roll onto an inclined dock or ramp or onto a beach from the water, and such operations may be readily performed with the landing gear of my invention. Similarly, the beached plane may be rolled into the water when it is desired to take off from that medium. There are many other cases where ready convertibility of my landing gear will be found advantageous, as when the seaplane is landed upon snow orin a marshy or muddy field.

While I have hereinbefore described the landing gear of my invention as preferably embodied in a sea-plane, it will be understood that the basic principles thereof are readilyapplicable to other types of air-craft. For example, the reversible landing gear disclosed herein may be readily mounted in a flying boat or other air and water craft. Furthermore, it may be utilized in land planes as a retractable landing gear per se, where the wheels may be housed within the fuselage, wings or other stream-line members. The invention is also adaptable for the landing devices of air-ships, zeppelins and the like, andcould likewise be used in a plane equipped with skiis for landing on snow.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited. to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A landing gear for aircraft including in combination a pontoon having a recess in the bottom thereof, a casing revolvable about an axis within the recess, and a wheel revolvable with said casing.

2. A landing gear for air-craft including in combination a pontoon having a recess in the bottom thereof, a casing revolvable about an axis within the recess, and a wheel revolvable with said casing and rotatable therewithin.

3. A landing gear for air-craft including in combination a pontoon having a recess in the bottomthereof, a landing wheel revolvable from a retracted position within the pontoon to a landing position external thereto, and a wheel casing revolvable with the wheel and adapted to close the bottom of the recess when the wheel is retracted.

. e. A landing gear for air-craft including in combination a pontoon having a recess in its lower surface, a landing wheel revolvable from a retracted position within the pontoon to an external landing position, and means revolvable with the wheel for automatically sealing the bottom of the recess when the wheel is retracted.

5. A landing gear for aircraft including in combination a pontoon having an opening in the surface thereof, a landing wheel movable froma retracted position inside the pontoon to an exterior landing position, and a closure member for said opening connected to the landing wheel and movable therewith and adapted to close the opening when the wheel is retracted and to exciude Water from the interior of the pontoon when the wheel is in landing position.

6. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a ground wheel, means for swinging said wheel about a pivot positioned within said body into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, a cover for said opening pivoted about the same axis as the wheel, and means for moving said cover into position when the wheel is withdrawn into the buoyant body, and for moving the cover into the body when the wheel is in operative position.

7. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant bodyhaving an opening, a ground wheel, means for moving said wheel about a pivot positioned within said body into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, and a plate coupled to the wheel-operating means to swing about the wheel pivot into a position covering said opening when the wheel is retracted and to swing into the body when the wheel is in operative position.

8. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a ground wheel, means for moving said wheel about a pivot positioned within said body into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, said means including a drive shaft, and a cover for said opening operable from said shaft to swing about the pivotal axis for the wheel and close the opening when the wheel is retracted.

9. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a wheel, means for moving said wheel about a pivot positioned within said body into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, said means comprising a crank arm and a drive shaft therefor, a second crank arm carried on said shaft, and a cover for said opening carried by said second arm to close the opening when the wheel is retracted.

- closing member for said opening carried by said bridge-piece.

11. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a wheel, a pivot therefor positioned within the buoyant body, means for moving said wheel into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, a shock-absorber associated with said wheel and its actuating means, and a cover for said opening swung on said pivot and operable by the drive-source of said wheelactuating means to close said opening when the wheel is retracted and to move into the body when the wheel is in operative position.

12. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a pivoted wheel, means for swinging said wheel into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, a cover for said opening, said cover and wheel being so relatively mounted that the cover is housed within the buoyant body when the wheel is in its operative position, and

means for moving said cover into position whenthe wheel is withdrawn into the buoyant body.

13. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a buoyant body having an opening, a pivoted wheel, means for swinging said wheel into the buoyant body from its operative position by way of said opening and vice versa, a cover for said opening, and means for moving said cover into position when the wheel is withdrawn into the buoyant body andifor moving the cover into the buoyant body when the wheel is in operative position.

14. Aircraft alighting gear comprising a float formed of a main body portion having an opening and a tail portion pivotally connected to said body portion, a pivoted Wheel, means for moving said wheel to and from its operative position from within and into said float, and a cover for said opening swinging about the pivotal axis of the wheel and operable upon withdrawal of said wheel.

HAROLD C. KING. 

